Washington, DC., 31 July 2025 ——
In Gaza, a humanitarian disaster of staggering proportions continues to unfold, exacerbated by ongoing Israeli military actions. Thousands of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, have lost their lives – not in the crossfire between warring parties, but as a direct result of Israeli forces targeting civilians seeking aid in Gaza. Offenses committed by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) include airstrikes targeting civilian gatherings, including those waiting in line for life-saving assistance at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) set up by Israel and the US. The tragedy is further compounded by a man-made famine triggered by a blockade, creating a severe shortage of food, medicine, and essential services.
Israel’s Blockade
For nearly two decades, the Israeli government has imposed a strict blockade on Gaza, severely limiting the movement of goods, people, and resources into the region. The blockade, which experts have described as collective punishment, has suffocated Gaza’s economy, crippled its healthcare system, and left over two million Palestinians trapped in what many call the world’s largest open-air prison.
The consequences are far-reaching. Without the ability to import food, medicine, or construction materials, Gaza has faced chronic shortages in essential supplies. The blockade has also made it nearly impossible for medical teams to provide the necessary care, leaving the population vulnerable to disease outbreaks and preventable deaths.
This ongoing deprivation has led to a situation where Gaza’s civilian population is facing an acute and man-made famine. While international agencies such as the United Nations (UN), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), World Food Programme (WFP), World Central Kitchen (WCK), and many others, have attempted to bring in aid, the access routes have been repeatedly intentionally blocked by Israeli forces, who argue it is for security reasons. But this blockade, along with military operations, has made any kind of relief work almost impossible.
IDF Targeting Aid Lines
In recent months, as the humanitarian situation has grown worse, reports have emerged of Israeli airstrikes hitting areas where civilians have gathered to wait for food or medical assistance. Videos and statements from survivors and witnesses give detailed testimonies of civilians already suffering from hunger, injuries, and displacement, being killed by airstrikes or being fired upon while simply trying to access basic aid.
Attacks on civilians are violations of international law, specifically the Geneva Conventions, which protect civilians in times of war. Israel’s tactics of targeting crowded aid lines and shelters, often described as “hunger strikes” where people line up in hope of receiving whatever little aid is available, have resulted in countless civilian deaths.
The scale of the violence is unprecedented. Over 1,200 Palestinians have been killed in the past months while attempting to access aid at the four GHF centers, with more injured. The attacks on these civilians have been condemned as a deliberate tactic aimed at preventing Palestinian access to survival resources, further tightening the grip on Gaza’s beleaguered population.
Impact on Aid and Survival
The logic behind these attacks is shrouded in military justification, with the IDF claiming that such strikes are aimed at Hamas fighters or that they were retaliatory measures. However, the indiscriminate nature of the airstrikes, the targeting of civilian areas known to be full of unarmed people, and the near-total lack of distinction between military targets and civilian infrastructure tell a very different story.
At the heart of this conflict lies the desperate need for humanitarian aid, which is being deliberately impeded, and the GHF is complicit. Palestinians in Gaza, already subjected to years of deprivation, are now being killed simply for trying to access food, medicine, and shelter, while the international community watches with growing frustration but little concrete action.
Man-Made Famine
The systematic destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure – airstrikes targeting hospitals, schools, and marketplaces – coupled with the ongoing blockade, has created conditions that many humanitarian organizations are now describing as a man-made famine. Access to food and medical aid is severely restricted, and the health and economic systems are on the brink of collapse.
UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for providing aid to Palestinian refugees, has warned that Gaza is rapidly heading toward a catastrophic situation. The death toll continues to rise, not only from the direct effects of military strikes but from malnutrition, disease, and the lack of basic medical care. In a region where 80% of the population relies on some form of international aid, these restrictions have effectively sentenced large portions of Gaza’s population to an agonizingly slow death.
Need for Accountability
The international community must call for an immediate end to the practices that are exacerbating this crisis. The deliberate targeting of civilians, aid lines, and humanitarian workers must be investigated, and those responsible for these violations of international law should be held accountable.
Furthermore, the blockade must be lifted. Humanitarian aid cannot be the subject of political bargaining. People are dying, and their suffering is both a consequence of years of isolation and a result of ongoing hostilities that intentionally deny basic human rights to an entire population.
The situation in Gaza has reached a point where the fight for survival is not just about escaping airstrikes but also about the ongoing struggle to get access to food and medical aid. The targeting of civilians who are simply trying to stay alive is a war crime that cannot be overlooked. The international community must act decisively – pressuring Israel to halt these airstrikes and lift the blockade – if there is to be any hope of averting a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe.
What is happening in Gaza is not just a political issue; it is a matter of basic human dignity and survival. No matter the political context, no matter the military objectives, civilians should never be treated as expendable.
Photo Credit: As tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza wait to receive the very limited amount of food available, a young girl sits on an empty water container. TGR photo: JNzari.
Lara Kajs is the founder and executive director of The Genocide Report, an NGO nonprofit organization in Washington, DC. She is the author of Assad’s Syria, and Stories from Yemen: A Diary from the Field, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, and independent bookstores worldwide. Distributed by Ingram. Ms. Kajs frequently speaks about atrocity crimes, forced displacement, and International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Follow and connect with Lara Kajs on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.